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Author's Chapter Notes:
Its now up to McGee and Abby to stop the deadly nuclear missile from destroying Washington D.C. and the surrounding areas...And the final results of the trial are finally heard. Will the verdict be 'Guilty'? or 'Not Guilty'?
"What Had To Be Done, Part Eight"

-Chapter Sixteen-

The doors to 'Autopsy' at NCIS HQ slid open.

"Ziva!?" Ducky said, somewhat shocked.

The two thugs standing guard just inside spun around to face the intruder, and found Ziva pointing a gun in their direction.

She squeezed the trigger once, and the first thug collapsed to the ground with a groan. She squeezed the trigger again, but this time--nothing happened. The gun had jammed.

Ziva stood frozen to the spot, just staring coldly at the second thug who had his Uzi aimed right at her chest.

Suddenly the man's eyes went wide, and then he let out a terrifying howl as he began grasping over his shoulder towards his back. His Uzi began firing uncontrollably straight up into the air as a second object pierced the flesh of his back.

Ziva dove past the man, grabbing a pistol from a side holster on his belt as she moved past him, and landed at Ducky's feet behind the burly man.

"Ziva!?" Ducky gasped out of concern.

Ziva rolled over, having already primed the newly acquired weapon, and as the burly, thuggish man spun around to face her and Ducky she planted 4 or 5 slugs in his chest almost without even thinking about it.

The burly man slumped to the floor, dead, in a heap--his gun landing beside him on the floor.

Ducky stared down at the lifeless, limp body of the burly man with eyes as cold as ice. "That was for Jimmy." he spat.

Ducky then turned, and reached out a hand to help Ziva up to her feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked, checking a small cut on her forehead that she had gotten from being hit by a falling, hot shell.

"I am fine Ducky." she insisted, brushing his hand away. "We need to find Abby."

"Right," he agreed, as the two of them made a hasty retreat from 'Autopsy'. "Poor girl must be terrified out of her mind by now."






Meanwhile...
In the lab the 'ping' had occurred, as McGee had said it would, and Abby's fingers shot out like lightning across the keyboard as she initiated the tracer program.

"How long will it take?" Vance asked, pacing back and forth by her side.

"Hopefully not long," she informed him, and at the same time crossing her own fingers. "We don't have much time."





Across Town...
Gibbs and Tobias stood staring up at a huge computer screen in the 'War Room' look-a-like. They watched as a small, red blip illuminated on a computer-generated map of the world moved closer and closer to where they were.

Gibbs now had his cell phone on speaker-mode.

"You might wanna work faster son," Tobias said loud enough for McGee to hear him over the phone. "Its getting closer."

"We're working as fast as we can Fornell." McGee replied, sounding just a little bit irritated.

"Well work faster McGee!" Gibbs added.

"Got it!" McGee exclaimed over the phone. "We found the 'Jammer', Abby's sending the virus to bring it down as we speak." he informed them.





Vance stopped pacing back and forth, and listened intently to something coming from outside the lab. He readied his gun, once again, and move slowly towards the door.

"What?" Abby asked, quietly, as she noticed what he was doing. "What is it?"

"Shh." he commanded her.

He reached the door, and before he could react any further he found himself pointing his gun in the face of Ziva David, who had 'her' gun pointed in his face.

"Jesus Christ David!" Vance swore, as he lowered his gun.

Ziva lowered her gun as well.

"Don't you know that sneaking around like that can get you killed!"

"Sorry." she apologized, as she stowed her weapon away into the waist band of her pants. "I was not aware that you had already handled the situation in here." she added.

"Forgiven." Vance said quietly.





-Chapter Seventeen-
A metallic sound alerted Gibbs and Tobias to movement coming from behind them. Gibbs glanced over his shoulder quickly, and saw the Vice Pres.--who apparently had awoken from his little nap--pointing a gun straight at them.

"I won't let you destroy everything I've worked for." he grunted, as he started to wrap his finger around the trigger.

"Tobias!" Gibbs shouted.

The two men spun around quickly, but there was a gun shot before either of them had their guns ready, and then the Vice Pres. slumped forward to teh ground--dead.

Mike was standing in the doorway his own gun pointed at the Vice Pres. straight at where the Vice Pres. had been standing just mere moments before.

"What'd I miss?" Mike asked, a crooked grin slowly spreading across his face.

Gibbs shook his head, and stifled a chuckle at his former mentor.

"Where the hell have you been!?" Tobias swore, as he holstered his side-arm.

"Got lost." Mike replied, as he strode forward.





McGee's computer screen lit up suddenly with a brand new screen. It was the screen he had been waiting for. It meant that the 'Jammer' had been disabled and now he had access to the missile.

"We're in!" he shouted loudly.

He quickly zeroed in on the missile's radio frequency, and as soon as he did he got a green light, and control of the missile was finally his.

"Knock that son-of-a-bitch down McGee!" Gibbs commanded him over the phone.

"You got it Boss." McGee replied, in military fashion.

A few seconds passed as McGee worked at the computer that he was sitting at.

"Alright everyone," McGee said, looking up from his computer screen. "Cross your fingers."

There was a brief pause, on his part, and then he pressed one final key.





Across Town...
Deep inside the Greenbrier Bunker the three men watched as the small, red blip faded from the huge computer screen that they were staring at. A sigh of relief swept through the room.

Gibbs smiled, as he picked up his cell phone--which had been setting on the computer's console.

"Not bad, McGee." Gibbs said into the cell phone as he held it up close. "Not bad at all."

Tobias heaved a relieved sigh, as he rubbed his face with his hands.

"I'll be damned." he breathed.

Mike laid a hand on Tobias' shoulder. "Actually," he said. "No you won't." he added, with an elated chuckle.

Tobias couldn't help but laugh/chuckle to. After all Mike was right.





Back in Abby's lab...
Abby breathed a sigh of relief, as her shoulders sagged forward, and tears sprang from her eyes. It was over, the whole terrible nightmare was finally over--or so she, and everyone else, thought.

Ziva couldn't hold back her tears either, and soon found herself in Ducky's arms crying.

"Shh," the aging M.E. said calmly and quietly. "I know. But its alright now--its all over." he said, reassuringly, his own eyes red and moist.

Vance slumped backwards against the wall that he had been standing next to. He hung his head, for a moment, but then looked up. There was nothing but relief in his eyes, and on his face.





Gibbs held the cell phone up close to his face back in the Greenbrier bunker.

"McGee," he said into it. "Where's the missile now?" he asked.

McGee cleared his throat before answering Gibbs' question.

"I disarmed it, and dropped it into the ocean about a mile off the coast of Maryland." he informed Gibbs. "Figured a Navy Salvage Team should be able to recover it safely." he added.

"Nice work, McGee." Gibbs said once again. "Tell everyone there...I said--Good Work." Gibbs told him.

----END OF Gibbs' FLASHBACK----






-Chapter Eighteen-
The courtroom was silent now as the jury members filed their way back into their respective seats.

The judge waited until they were all seated and situated before speaking up.

"Mr. Foreman," he said, addressing the jury's 'Foreman'. "Has the jury reached a verdict?" he asked.

"We have your Honor." the Foreman said, as he stood up from his seat. The man handed a slip of paper to the Bailiff who then passed it own to the judge.

The judge glanced at the folded up slip of paper, and read its contents before handing it back to the Bailiff. "So be it." the Judge said.

"Will the defendant please rise." the Judge said, motioning towards Gibbs.

The Jury's Foreman stood, shifted in his spot a little bit, cleared his throat, and then finally spoke.

"Your Honor," The Foreman began. "We, the Jury, find the defendant...Guilty..."

There was a collective gasp that erupted throughout the courtroom.

"Order! Order!" The Judge said, as he rapped his gavel, hard, against the bench.

In the audience the team was hit the hardest by the Foreman's words. Tony swore angrily, as Ziva slumped against him in tears. McGee shook his head in frustration, and Ducky started to rise to his feet to protest. Abby's heart sank in her chest as the realization set in, a little too quickly, that they were going to take Gibbs away from them--away from...her.

"...Of all charges and specifications previously mentioned." the Foreman of the Jury continued (to speak). "And we, hereby, recommend the 'Death Penalty'." he concluded.

As the man sat back down in his seat, he glanced around nervously from side-to-side.

Tony shot up from his seat at hearing the words 'Death Penalty'.

"That's bullshit!" he yelled angrily.

"Sit down young man!" the Judge bellowed, over the other voices in the courtroom.

"Or what?" Tony challenged.

"DiNozzo, sit down." Gibbs said sternly without looking back.

"Hunh? You gonna stick a needle in my arm too!?" Tony growled at the Judge.

"I'm warning you." The judge threatened.

"Everyone in this room would be dead right now if it wasn't for Jethro Gibbs," Tony pointed out loudly, to everyone. "He should be given a medal--not a death sentence!"

"DiNozzo, Sit Down Now!" Gibbs growled loudly, as he rounded on his former senior field agent.

Tony swallowed at the hard look that Gibbs was giving him. There was a brief pause, but then he did comply.

Ducky looked back over one row at Director Vance. Concern in his eyes.

Vance read the look on Ducky's face, and mouthed I'll explain outside.

"Bailiff please take the defendant into custody." the Judge said.

Abby's heart was hurting so much now. She couldn't believe what she had just heard. They were going to kill Gibbs--her Gibbs.

By now Gibbs was being led down the aisle past everyone, and in a moment of mixed emotions she jumped up and threw herself into the aisle. She grabbed a hold of Gibbs' front, and held tight--sobbing into the fabric of his clothing.

"Abs," Gibbs said soothingly.

"No, No I won't let them take you." she sobbed. "They can't."

"Abs," Gibbs repeated the words softly. "Its time to let go."

"NO! I Won't" she nearly screamed.

"Abs," Gibbs said, a little more sternly this time. He cupped her chin and lifted her face to his. "I need you to be strong. I need you to be strong for Tony, McGee, Ducky, Ziva--and for me." he said softly, as he rubbed his hand gently across her cheek.

Standing there looking up into Gibbs' eyes Abby could see that his usually cool, steely blue eyes were now moist and red.

"I promise," he told her quietly, as he nudged her cheek with his own. "I'll explain everything to you--one day."

"Bailiff, get him out here--now!" The judge bellowed.

Two other officers came forward and grabbed Abby around the waist, and tried to pull her away. The calm went away when they did, and she started kicking and screaming. At one point she accidentally scratched one of the officer's face.

"Why you-" the first officer growled, throwing Abby to the floor, as he reached for his night stick.

Tony and the others tried to move out to Abby's aid, but they just could not get anywhere because of the crowd of people in their way.

The officer raised the night stick over his head, and started to bring it down.

Gibbs broke loose from the Bailiff, just as they reached the courtroom door, and charged the officer with the night stick--pushing the other officer out of the way in the process.

Even though his wrists were still cuffed together, he still managed knee the officer--making him drop the night stick--and then sling him to the ground. Gibbs stooped over and wrapped his hands around the officers throat.

He opened his mouth to speak, but then something hard clubbed him over the head. He slumped forward unconscious, and had to be carried away on a stretcher.

The team watched in silence as their boss, their mentor--their friend, was carried away off to face a lethal injection.






-Chapter Nineteen-

Vance gathered everyone in the squad room of NCIS HQ. This would be the last time that he addressed them--together at least.

It had been a week and a half since Gibbs' trial, and he had been scheduled for death by lethal injection just 2 hours ago. His execution had been ordered to move fairly swiftly because his was a special case, and they wanted it taken care of.

He had hated having to tell everyone just a week and a half earlier that Gibbs receiving the death penalty was all because of the C.I.A. It was just their way of doing damage control.

"Everyone," Vance began, looking into the eyes of everyone standing before him now. "I just received word that Jethro Gibbs is..."

Abby began shaking her head, as she covered her ears with her hands. "No, no." she said. "Don't say it. Not those words." she pleaded with Vance.

"Dead." Vance said finally.

The room was silent all around for a brief moment.

Abby's heart had never hurt as much as it did now. She could hardly stand, let alone breathe for all of the pain that she felt right then.

McGee plopped backwards into his desk chair in disbelief. "I-I can't believe it...he's-" he could hardly get the words out.

Tony was shaking his head in disbelief, and then he staggered backwards, fell over a nearby chair and landed on his butt right in front of Ziva's desk.

"No, no, no, no." he was mumbling through sobs.

Ducky was shaking so bad that he had to grasp the edge of Gibbs' old desk to keep from falling over.

"I'm...terribly sorry." Vance said quietly, before walking away to conceal his own grief from everyone else.

"No, no, no." Tony said. "He was--he was supposed to escape--it wasn't supposed to end this way."

Ziva knelt down beside Tony and the two of them cried there together.

--------To Be Continued--------

Stay Tuned For The Very Last Chapter, and A Special Surprise Ending........
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